Mumbai: Airport Customs Seizes 1.8 Kg Of Smuggled Gold Dust Worth ₹1.36 Crore, 2 Arrested

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers of the Airport Customs have successfully executed a significant operation leading to the seizure of gold dust in wax form, having net weight of 1.800 kilograms provisionally valued at Rs 1.36 crore in one case. An airport private staff and a transit passenger have been arrested in the said case, officials said on Friday.

According to the Customs sources, on the night of November 7-8, based on profiling and subsequent follow-up, the Customs officers intercepted a transit passenger at CSMI Airport, Mumbai while leaving the staff washroom in the departure hall, accompanied by a private airport staff member carrying a backpack.

"Upon conducting a personal search of the staff member and his backpack, the officers recovered a package containing gold dust in wax having net weight of 1.800 kilograms, provisionally valued at Rs 1.36 crore which was concealed in an innerwear and kept inside the backpack. In his confessional statement, the private airport staff admitted that the gold was handed over to him by the transit passenger, who had been under surveillance by the AIU officers," said a Customs source.

The airport private staff and the transit passenger were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act.